Dear Colleagues,

Today, the National Institutes of Health, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), eight pharmaceutical companies and five non-profit organizations have partnered to further our understanding of the cellular and molecular disease pathways in autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases. The Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Autoimmune and Immune-Mediated Diseases (AMP® AIM) program will advance the discovery of disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets in rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and Sjögren's disease.

We know that many autoimmune diseases share common inflammatory pathways and clinical features, and often respond to treatment similarly. Many of these diseases result in persistent damage to multiple tissues and organ systems, and have a major impact on health, well-being, and quality of life. Using a collaborative approach, AMP AIM will define the shared and unique immune mechanisms in these disorders, which will enable the development of new and effective therapies for people with autoimmune diseases.

AMP AIM builds on the research infrastructure, datasets and novel technologies of our prior AMP investment in rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. This new initiative provides an extraordinary opportunity to further advance the identification of specific drug targets in these and other autoimmune diseases.

A key feature of the AMP AIM program is its commitment to patient engagement. It will incorporate strategies to include patient input and will emphasize the importance of patient-reported outcomes. Nonprofit supporters include the Arthritis Foundation, the Lupus Foundation of America, the Lupus Research Alliance, the National Psoriasis Foundation, and the Sjögren's Foundation, all of which are members of the NIAMS Coalition, as well.

In addition to NIAMS and our valued NIAMS Coalition partners, AMP AIM is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, and the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health. Private funding partners beyond those listed above include AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK), Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Novartis Pharma AG, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi, and UCB. The partnership is managed by the FNIH.

For more information on AMP AIM, please visit niams.nih.gov/grants-funding/niams-supported-research-programs/accelerating-medicines-partnership-amp.

For more information on the Accelerating Medicines Partnership program, please visit nih.gov/research-training/accelerating-medicines-partnership-amp.

Lindsey A. Criswell, M.D., M.P.H., D.Sc.
Director
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
National Institutes of Health

*This page was modified February 3, 2022, to update links to the most current information.